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Sanyo R227 WiFi Internet Radio (Black) by Sanyo/Fisher
Digital product summary informationManufacturer: Sanyo/Fisher Brand: Sanyo Edition: Electronics Model: R227 Color: Black Publisher: Sanyo/Fisher Studio: Sanyo/Fisher Music Label: Sanyo/Fisher Product features: - Works wired ethernet or wireless broadband connections
- FM PLL tuning radio
- Media Player to play wirelessly from your PC
- Stereo Aux Input for portable players
- Clock and Alarm function to wake to Internet radio or FM
Accessories:
Digital camera reviews of Sanyo R227 WiFi Internet Radio (Black)Digital camera Review: 5stars for features - 1 star for customer support. Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great new technology. I'll rate it up there
with the modem and the personal computer. That said,
I was nearly so frustrated in getting this set up that
I was close to returning it a couple of times. But once
it actually worked I was very pleased. I elected to use
a wired rather than wireless router, so I could run a 75 ft.
cat5 cable to my bedroom for the [...]
I'll give two gripes first.
FIRST GRIPE:
This radio won't work if my PC is running. Through trial and
error I learned I needed a router to run the radio and PC at the
same time. Or I could disconnect my PC from my cable modem, plug
in the radio, and reboot the modem every time I wanted to use the
radio.
I initially bought a 5 port switch to connect my PC, laptop and radio
to my cable modem. It saved me from disconnecting cables, but it still
only let me have one device connected to the internet at a time.
With the router connected to the cable modem, the switch connected
to the router; and the pc, laptop and radio connected to the switch
everything works at the same time. (I have the switch, so I may as
well use it to move the signal along - but it's not actually required).
I realize some will say that only getting a single dhcp internet
connection at a time out of my cable modem is the fault of my provider,
not the radio. However, since Optimum is my provider, I think my
experience is typical, and it would have been very helpful if the
Sanyo advertising and documention highlighted this fact prominently
as in.... NOTICE: YOU PROBABLY NEED A ROUTER TO HAVE THIS RADIO WORK
WHILE YOU ARE ACESSING THE INTERNET ON YOUR PC!
SECOND GRIPE:
This radio's navigation appears to be managed and updated by the
[...] website. The site provides categorization and lookup
of the thousands of stations you can get. Once it's working
properly, the radio accesses the same data as shown on the website
and loads it for you. You want stations from Uruguay, the radio
uploads all of them. You want US stations starting with W, the radio
uploads all of them. You then can quickly scroll alphabetically with
the radio dial to the one you want, and can save up to 8 stations
as instant access buttons.
The Sanyo R227 manual and the Sanyo website (which is a mirror of the
[...] website) refers you to the Reciva website for FAQ's, tips,
station and category listings, and for adding undocumented radio
stations to their database. The Sanyo R227 manual troubleshooting
section tells you to go to the Reciva website for additional tips.
And remember, the actual uploading of all the stations to the radio
is from the Reciva database.
When I first got the radio I went to the Reciva site to register.
The only problem was their website kept sending me an invalid URL
to complete my registration. I couldn't register. I sent several
days of emails to Reciva and even used their online contact form.
I tried registering with a different user name and email. The result
... no reply ... no info ... no phone number ... an email dead end.
When I requested help from Sanyo, they told me they couldn't help
with Reciva website registration problems, and I could use the radio
without the Reciva website. This was in total contradiction of all the
Reciva references in the Sanyo documentation and on the Sanyo website.
A real catch 22. Hence the 1 star for customer support.
The Sanyo R227 manual was no help with my problem. With the radio
plugged straight into the cable modem, I still couldn't get a connection.
After looking at error messages on the radio lcd and trying different
configurations (the default DHCP auto detect worked), I was about to pack
the radio up and send it back to Amazon, when out of the blue I saw a message
on the lcd that the Reciva database was uploading station info. How or why
it started working is a complete mystery.
THE PRAISE:
I love this radio. My Reciva website login finally just worked a week later
- no notification, I just tried it on a whim. The radio sound is great,
no static or interference, the navigation is very straightforward. If you know
your radio station call letters, there's minimal browsing required. The
stations load in less than a minute when you turn the radio on. It returns
to the last station you visited and the presets stay in place or are easily
changed. There are a few minor nits to pick like the volume not staying where
you left it. But I'm very happy with it, and so far I'm glad it started working
before I sent it back.
Summary of Sanyo R227 WiFi Internet Radio (Black)The new SANYO R227 WiFi internet radio is capable of delivering thousands of FREE internet radio stations and podcasts (sports, music, talk shows) from virtually every region of the world! As a stand-alone audio product which does not require a PC to operate or any subscription fees, the R227 provides listeners an easy way to access quality internet radio via a WiFi or broadband Ethernet connection. The R227 delivers exceptional sound performance through the use of high quality speaker drivers, dual tuned porting and matched amplifiers. Its distinctive design and styling makes it perfect complement in any home or office setting. The R227 makes it easy for sports fans, ex-patriots, and radio enthusiasts to enjoy their favorite local radio in non-local areas. Internet radio stations and podcasts can be easily searched by country or genre (MP3, WMA, AAC, AIFF, RM and WAV formats supported) with 8 Internet station presets. The device also boasts a FM stereo digital tuner with 8 station presets. Designed with the user in mind, the R227 offers simple, one-button on/off function viewing on easy to read backlit display. All features are easily accessible via the large rotary dial, front panel buttons or by using the full function remote control. The unit automatically updates internet radio stations and clock time setting from the internet. Additionally, the user can request new stations to be added to the station database. Clock and alarm functions allow users to wake up to Internet or FM radio programming as well as buzzer. High efficiency 90mm speaker drivers with dual tuned ports coupled with 4 watts RMS system amplifier power provide extended bass response resulting in a warm, rich sound which is virtually unmatched in tabletop audio.
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